From London to Cádiz. From Sudan to Czech Republic. From Norway to Cyprus. From Helsinki to Rome. Follow our friends Albert, Sylvia, Red, and Ninja, in their path to a better climate.

Our friends are very different, but they have one thing in common: they should be able to migrate in peace! Click on any of them and learn more.

SYLVIA BLACKCAP

ALBERT GOLDFINCH

RED ROBIN

NINJA DOVE

On a migration route from Norway to Cyprus, blackcaps get caught, often with glue traps, to sell to restaurants.

On their trip from the UK to the south of Spain, via western France, these birds are trapped with ground nets.

Robins get trapped in clamp traps almost at the end of their migration route from Finland to Northern Italy.

From Sudan to Libya, to the Ionian Islands, and onwards to Czech Republic, these birds often get killed while or just after crossing the Mediterranean.

HELLO! I AM SYLVIA, NICE TO MEET YOU.

I like art, berries, and parks. This is my first migration, and I’m doing it without my parents! It’s very scary, but kind of exciting. Go back to the map and follow my journey!

DISCOVER OTHER SPECIES

HI THERE! NAME'S GOLDFINCH, ALBERT GOLDFINCH

I love flying with my mates, my girlfriend Hannah, and anything outdoorsy. I'm hoping to migrate quickly so I can get to Hannah, she’s preparing the nest for our babies!

DISCOVER OTHER SPECIES

HEY, RED THE ROBIN HERE.

Travelling is my favourite thing in the world, always bobbing along with my migration adventures, meeting new birds, exploring countries and trying local food!

DISCOVER OTHER SPECIES

HELLO! I AM NINJA DOVE, NICE TO MEET YOU.

I’m travelling from Sudan to Czech Republic, ready to have adventures! I know it’s dangerous, but ninjas aren’t afraid of anything.

DISCOVER OTHER SPECIES

THE BERN CONVENTION

The Bern Convention is a binding international legal instrument in the field of nature conservation, covering most of the natural heritage of the European continent and extending to some States of Africa

OUR WORK

The issue of illegal killing, has been regularly on the Agenda of the meetings of the Standing Committee to the Bern convention in the past twenty years. The Bern convention promoted the organisation of the first "European Conference on illegal killing of birds", held in Larnaca, Cyprus, on 2011. A 2nd Conference took place in Tunis on 2013. This resulted in adoption of the “Tunis Action Plan for the eradication of illegal killing, trapping and trade of wild birds, 2013-2020” (TAP) as a way to ensure concrete action. An indirect consequence of TAP’s adoption has been the preparation of an EU Roadmap for IKB. TAP further led to the establishment of The Bern Convention Network of Special Focal Points on Eradication of Illegal Killing, Trapping and Trade in Wild Birds. This expert group has made considerable contributions to the prevention of IKB including the identification of IKB black spots, developing sanctions to be implemented in wildlife crime cases, analysis of gravity factors to be used when evaluating offences and outlining of criteria to establish national policy/investigation priorities.

PROTECTING BIRDS

We aim to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats, as well as to promote European co-operation in this field. The treaty also takes account of the impact that other policies may have on natural heritage and recognises the intrinsic value of wild flora and fauna, which needs to be preserved and passed to future generations. Fifty countries and the European Union have already signed up to the Convention and committed to promoting national conservation policies, considering the impact of planning and development on the natural environment, promoting education and information on conservation, and coordinating research.

- Get in contact with national and local nature conservation and hunting organisations

- Spread the word about the issue!

- Raise your voice before political leadership for action

THE REPORT

If you want to have access to complete data about this problem, the BirdLife Partnership presents the report: The Killing 2.0, A View to a Kill. Led by BirdLife International with input from experts from the region, this layman’s report exposes the scale and scope of the illegal killing of birds across critical regions.